World No. 85 Craybas had all of nine career Grand Slam victories to her credit when she stunned two-time champion Serena in the third round. The former No. 1 arrived at the All England Club aiming for her fourth straight trip to the Wimbledon final, but looked out of shape and out of sorts in suffering her earliest exit from a major since she fell in the third round of the 1999 French Open.
"I guess I had a lot of rust. I just didn't play well today," said Williams, whose eyes filled with tears in the post-match press conference. "I mean, the other days I kind of played through it and the second and third set I got better. But today I just didn't do anything right."
The 30-year-old American underdog played fearless tennis to shock one Williams and set up a fourth-round match with another, Venus. (Craybas would lose that match, 6-0, 6-2.)
"It's about really trusting yourself and going after each particular shot no matter what situation you're in," Craybas said. "Previously, when I saw her across the court, I was probably thinking to myself, 'Oh, my God, I'm playing the No. 1 player in the world.' Today, as soon as I walked on the court, I just felt like we were equals. And I think that made a big difference to me."